October 8, 2021

Continuing with their commitment to make vaccinations compulsory for federal government employees, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that all employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors will need to be filly vaccinated, as of October 30. Also, effective October 30, travelers departing from Canadian airports, and travelers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains, will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to travel.

Travelers who are in the process of being vaccinated will get a short transition period where they will be able to travel if they can show a valid COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of travel. However, as on November 30, all employees must be fully vaccinated.

Vaccines for employees

As of October 30, all employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors will need to be fully vaccinated. Specifically, the vaccination requirement will apply to:

• airlines and airports, and other organizations who have employees who enter restricted areas of airports, such as concession and hospitality workers
• federally regulated railways, and their rail crew and track employees
• marine operators with Canadian vessels that operate with 12 or more crew

Vaccine requirements for travelers

Effective October 30, air passengers departing from Canadian airports, travelers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains, and travelers on non-essential passenger vessels on voyages of 24 hours or more, such as cruise ships, will need to be vaccinated.

Effective October 30, travellers will need to be fully vaccinated in order to board. Specifically, the vaccination requirement will apply to all travellers 12 years of age and older who are:

• Air passengers flying on domestic, transborder or international flights departing from airports in Canada
• Rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains
• Marine passengers on non-essential passenger vessels, such as cruise ships, on voyages of 24 hours or more

The policy applies to airlines, airports including concession and hospitality workers, railways, rail crew, track employees, and marine operators with Canadian vessels that have a crew of 12 or more. Employees who do not get fully vaccinated will be unable to work.

Transport Canada will enforce the new measures through inspections. Employers in the transportation sector who fail to comply could face fines between $5,000 and $250,000 per violation.